A truly creamy dairy-free low carb frosting made with avocado. You won’t believe how rich and chocolatey this healthy buttercream recipe is. This post is sponsored by California Avocados.
I have come to the conclusion that avocados are magic. Or maybe they are magicians, masters of disguise. They are a fruit but they aren’t sweet so they taste more like a vegetable. They are delicious in savoury dishes, particularly when paired with spices, lime, and garlic (mmmm, guacamole!). But they are also remarkably good in sweet recipes as well. They can be forward and in your face, being all “hey look at me, I am a delicious avocado”! Or they can be completely hidden, just hanging out in the recipe, boosting the nutrition without drawing attention to themselves. And with all those healthy fats, they can play the role of butter or other oils without skipping a beat. Avocados are, in short, astonishing.
And, as luck would have it, California Avocados are coming back into season. This makes me incredibly happy, because they are the creamiest and dreamiest of all avocados. Maybe it’s because they don’t have to travel so far from home to end up on your dinner table. Maybe it’s because of all that California sunshine. I honestly don’t quite know but I find them to be the most consistently good. And while a lot of my avocados just get eaten with a little salt and a spoon, I love finding fun and interesting ways to use them.
Now you know I love my dairy and I am not afraid to use copious amounts of butter and cream, I know that not everyone has that luxury. And while I also enjoy coconut oil, it does lend a strong coconut taste to frostings and puddings and the like. So I decided to play with my avocados and see if I could make a rich, dairy-free buttercream frosting.
I wanted it to be really rich and creamy, and really chocolate-y. So I pureed my avocado with sweetener and cocoa powder but I also added some melted chocolate. Avocado puree can be very thick, so I added a few tablespoons of water to thin things out before adding the chocolate. And what did I end up with? Exactly what I wanted…a rich, creamy chocolate frosting with no butter or coconut oil. Perfect for topping some dairy-free chocolate cupcakes or brownies. And to be honest, it’s really good on its own too…just you and a spoon.
Here’s another way to make dairy-free buttercream. Check out this vegan frosting and simply use powdered sweetener instead of sugar.
- 2 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 2 ripe California Avocados
- 3/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tbsp water
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In a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
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In a food processor, combine the avocados, sweetener, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Process on high until combined. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all avocado chunks are blended and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
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Drizzle with the melted chocolate and process again until smooth.
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Pipe or spread onto your favourite low carb cake, cupcakes, or brownies. Or just eat with a spoon!
Makes enough to frost one medium cake or 12 cupcakes. Serves 12. Each serving has 0.81g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 100kcal
Total fat: 9.22g
Calories from fat: 83kcal
Cholesterol: --
Carbohydrate: 3.89g
Total dietary fiber: 3.08g
Protein: 0.68g
Erythritol: 15g
Many thanks to California Avocados for partnering with me to bring you this delicious recipe.
